lmagna

The color of the wings looks much more correct to me on my screen Denis. I don't know about WWII but I suspect that it was much the same as it was when I was in the service. We had all kinds of colors in our choppers. All of them were "OD" of course but some of them were more faded or patched up than others or were new from the states or had returned from battalion with a new paint job of the current version of OD, and black. It was not really all that hard to tell one chopper from the other from across the field just by the color of the OD.

Maybe you could add a touch of black to the green to make it a little more OD in color for the exterior. Using it on the interior looks pretty good. Very close to the chromite green they used. I think they also used it as a primer so covering it up on the exterior with a darker green may work out perfectly. What is the wingspan on this model anyway?

That is exactly what I was saying Ken. Even though I got out in 71 it was much the same, and it was something you had to experience to truly understand. We were easy to pick out of a crowd even after we changed into civvies. Short hair was not the only sign. The way we walked, the way we constantly looked at everything around us and being aware of our surroundings. Keeping ourselves always positioned in a way that was best for safety. I compare it today with all of the people who wander the streets with their eyes glued to their cell phones and shudder. We were, and in some ways still are denied the opportunity to feel pride for the job we did. When I left the Army we were winning the war in Vietnam. That is not the way they teach it to my kids in school these days. Even though I was never spit on, when people recognized me as a vet, they acted differently or avoided me all together, like I was some kind of mutant creature or deranged time bomb, just waiting to go off. This was what the movies taught everyone for years. It was also 30 years before I got my first, "Welcome Home," It was an emotional shock to say the least. I will repeat here what I said in private OC. You should save that kind of respect for someone who really deserves it. I was young and was sent overseas “At the discretion of the military.” When I arrived in country, I discovered that there was an opportunity to do something more interesting than being an infantryman. Flying in choppers seemed far more romantic and exciting. In hind sight it really was. BUT I should have been wary of anything the Army offered as a voluntary position! It was a bit more hazardous than exciting at times and of course it had very limited job experience potential back in the real world when I got out. Not many jobs out there for “Trained shooter”! So hold your respect for those who gave their all in the line of duty, or even worse come back in pieces and managed to restore their lives and become constructive members of their normal world and ask for nothing more than to work for a chance of a relatively normal life. THOSE people deserve respect! That includes those people in countries all over the world. Combat for your country is not a unique American experience. I have had a relatively good life, by some peoples standards, even a good or privileged life and have few regrets. But if I die tomorrow It would have little effect on anyone outside of my immediate family. This thread has taken a turn that I did not intend and I apologize to Denis. For my part I will get off of my soapbox and the trip down memory lane, to return to the observation of what is certain to be a memorable build of a historic and notable aircraft that did make an impact of noteworthiness to it's time in history and should be remembered.

Yes, you and I have gotten to share a few notes about our time as door gunners Mark, and it brought back some memories. For some strange reason there seems to be few shotgun riders out there. In all these years I have met only a couple besides you. There must be something to the saying that the life expectancy of a door gunner from the time he took off until the time he ALMOST landed was about five minutes and that anyone who volunteered for the job was Dinky Dau. I was also told to use little movement on the controls and I think with time and practice I have the aptitude needed to become a real pilot. I even gave a little thought of reenlisting and going back to the states for warrant officer school and pilot training but I felt I had too many family responsibilities waiting at home that needed attending. Besides, unknown to me at the time, they were cutting back drastically on the size of the military, and that scenario would have probably not worked anyway. It's been almost 50 years for me and I am certain just as long or longer for you. You also probably have more hours in helicopters than I do. I had training, an 11 month tour, and was out. In a little less than 24 hours I was walking down the streets of Oakland California with discharge papers in my pocket and the smell of Vietnam still in my nose. Biggest shock of my life. There were actually other colors in the world than red dirt and green, and people did not dress all alike! I was in so much shock that I almost turned around and reenlisted! Most other guys were throwing their entire duffel bags of military gear/clothing into a bin just before you left the induction center in total disgust and refused to go out onto the street wearing any kind of uniform. That part affected me as well and I think it was over forty years before I said much about those few years of my life to anyone who had not been there.

I'm afraid I either wrote my last post wrong or it was not interpreted correctly OC. I was NOT a pilot in Hueys or any other aircraft, fixed or rotary wing. That would have taken some semblance of intelligence, something I have always been rather short of. I sat in the right side doorway held onto an M-60 and said "Yes Sir" a lot. The closest I ever got to actually flying anything was when one of the pilots I knew pretty well asked me if I wanted to fly an OH-58 Kiowa and when I stupidly said I would love to, he gave me the controls for I think was only a few minutes. It seemed like several hours and I think I managed to make it go in every direction other than straight. I would not have been surprised if the pilot had told me I had been flying backwards! I KNOW I was going sideways at least once. I could probably have landed it, but I am not so certain anyone would walk away from it. Years later I was doing some cross country flying with a friend in his Cessna 150. I did only slightly better. I pretty much kept it in a straight line and only changed altitude by 500 feet or so at a time. There is no doubt in my mind that if I even tried to land it there would be no survivors. Having said that I have spent enough time in aircraft to know that there are pilots and there are PILOTS. It is not just a skill, done properly it is also an art form. Sorry for the confusion.

Nicely done Gonzo Now it is time to sit back and admire. Looking forward to the pictures of her underway.

In many cases the pilots who flew B 17s in WWII had MUCH more practice in flying their planes home in less than perfect condition than the present day pilots probably have. I had somewhat the same experience in my time in Hueys. The pilots who had been in country for a while tended to be better at getting the chopper to do what THEY wanted than the new pilots, even those who had more hours when they arrived. Combat practice hones a number of skills that seem to come in no other way, and in many cases are not found in training manuals. The plane may have been old but it may not have been the case of the pilots.

Sad news but as this plane has been brought up in this post I thought I would add this information here rather than in a general news post by itself. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/us/connecticut-plane-crash-trnd/index.html https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-windsor-locks-bradley-international-airport-plane-crash-20191002-jfkph65krrfhxlrlb3eehksdiu-story.html I believe this is the third time the plane has crashed but based on the pictures I do not think it will be repaired this time. Hopefully all the people on board come out OK as well. Sad Day.

Mark, The B-17 I almost got to get a ride in was the CAF B-17. They changed their name a few years ago to the Commemorative Air Force. Too much Opposition to the word Confederate I think. It's funny that the plane you took the picture of carries the nose art for the Memphis Belle OC. The real Memphis Belle was a B-17F and did not have the chin turret. Great pictures though!

Great idea on the stand. If you replace the vertical clear part you could also possibly add a string of bombs falling toward the base. Or even simpler would be to put cross hairs on the base and you would have the view from the Norden bombsight: The main gear on the B-17 did not have doors over the tires so even when retracted they still show under the inboard engine nacelles.

I have always liked the B-17. Years ago I was able to watch one do some pretty impressive things at the Reno Air Races. They offered me a ride but I was on duty and in uniform so I was unable to take them up on it. I think I came close to quitting my job that day! It will be interesting to see what you do with yours.

I must have a Marine Toilet installed in my house, or it's close cousin. But mine only clogs when you flush it! Your hull and rudder are looking quite nice.

George If I remember correctly the Heller Royal Louis is a relatively nice kit to begin with, so in your hands it should become awesome!

Hi Jack I had the same thing happen to my Windows 7/Dell at about the same time and ended up having to go through all of the update history and delete them all the way back to the oldest failed update, I forgot which one it was, but it was a ways back. Then I let it update again and kept looking for updates manually until it was fully up to date. It was a LONG and drawn out boring process but it restored my computer's ability to perform automatic updates in W7.

That wouldn't work in the case of my son. He would have to pay me with MY MONEY that I had to give him!

I still call this one of the most amazing model builds I have ever had the privilege to follow. Now it is somehow even more impressive with the addition of the sails. Truly a masterpiece to be proud of.

I agree with W7 being a superior platform in MANY ways and it never seemed to fail to do what I wanted done. But this year I was forced to replace my personal computer and of course it was only available in W10. I could have formatted everything and retrofitted 7 but resigned myself to really learning 10 instead of having to relearn some of the functions every time the kids needed help with their laptops. (My wife, like me was/is running on 7. She is not the last in the house, at least on her downstairs computer) The thing I hate the most about 10 even after all this time, (Several months) is that from time to time their updates change the way I like to do things to the way THEY want it done! This can even sometimes include my lock screen and desktop! It is VERY irritating to say the least.

Super work Kevin. I wish all those details had been available back when I built the original Matchbox release of this kit. The change in looks on the depth charges alone is amazing!

Congratulations Patrick You have a beautiful ship build and display and the trophies are well deserved! Thanks for allowing me to share over the last couple of years.

Thanks

Hi Welfalck I may have missed it somewhere in your build log or possibly forgotten, but could you tell me what types of paint you use on this material and what precautions you need to use for proper coverage and adhesion? Or are there any problems?

Great job on the framework, especially after working so long on it. You may want to turn it around 180 degrees so that the crewmen do not run into the cross bar when the get to the top of the ladder. Like you said, close-up photos are unforgiving!

Not only impressive that it survived in combat usable condition but like YT says, suicidal in that it WAS used! It is truly amazing on just how casual people sometimes were about radiation back then.

Great work Gonzo I don't know why I have not seen your entries before but it was certainly worth catching up on your build. One thing I do question though is the photo caption by the Imperial War Museum regarding the crewmen on the aircraft launching deck. It looks to me that they are practicing firing rifles from a prone position rather than any kind of flight drill, possibly using sticks rather than the real thing. Good thing too if they are, as some of the guys in the front rows seem to be in a direct line of fire from the guys in the back.

I ran across this while researching some other things. While not ship related, or even necessarily model related I think there a number of members who are closet tank aficionados. Before seeing this I would had said "No way". Some things are truly stranger than fiction.